Week 5 - Media Blog Project (Option 2)

Outer Banks

Describe: 

For this media project, I decided to conduct my analysis on the Outer Banks series. I finished the latest season a little while back... However, I just re-watched a couple of episodes on the plane recently on Netflix. I would say this series falls into the adventure/mystery/drama genre. The episode I want to share is the finale episode of season 4. A quick rundown on the series plot, the main characters in the show are John B, Kiara, JJ, Sarah, Pope, and Cleo – all representing the Pogue community. In the series, there are 2 main communities on the Outer Banks Island – Pogues and Kooks. Pogues are portrayed as the “working-class”, living on the less-affluent side of the island, while the Kooks are portrayed as the “wealthy” living in the city. In this episode, the Pogues are chasing a mystical blue crown in Morrocco, where they face off against mercenaries and uncover deep family secrets. The jaw-dropping moment that occurs is that JJ eventually finds this crown with his long-lost biological father, but then his father ends up turning on him and makes him choose between giving him the crown or saving his girlfriend’s (Kiara) life. JJ ends up getting stabbed by his father as he’s walking away from giving him the crown... It was such a tragic ending and as a fan who’s has watched JJ since the very beginning and his impact on the show, it’s truly gut-wrenching.  

The aftermath of JJ’s death and end in the show had the whole world buzzing and confused. After doing some more research, it seems the Outer Banks creators were always planning to "kill" JJ... I guess it was sort of apparent something like this would happen because JJ’s character was a rebellious and reckless foe. Maybe this was a consequence of all those actions... On the other hand, there are some individuals who despised season 4 of Outer Banks. Especially with JJ’s death, they’re saying Outer Banks has fallen off and that the “heart of the show” has died too.  

Analyze:

Outer Banks projects a distinctive attitude of youthful rebellion, adventure, and laid-back coastal cool, which strongly appeals to teen and young adult audiences. The show blends high-stakes treasure hunting with emotional coming-of-age drama. It's bold, high-energy, and emotionally raw, mirroring the intensity of adolescence. Core themes include loyalty, identity, wealth disparity, and risk-taking. The rivalry between the “Pogues” (working class) and the “Kooks” (wealthy elite) sets up a clear "us vs. them" tension that resonates with audiences who feel disenfranchised or rebellious. In terms of dress, Pogues wear vintage T-shirts, board shorts, and thrifted coastal wear, reflecting a scrappy vibe. While Kooks wear more preppy, name-brand fashion which signals some entitlement and prestige. The series is filmed in Charleston, South Carolina so it makes sense how the “coast life” is the vibe being used to portray its cinematography. Outer banks is similar to other adolescent shows in terms of having that teen drama and action aspect. However, I think there is an engaging storyline and strong cast chemistry. It’s evident off-camera that this cast is very tight, and a lot of the mass audience have a strong connection to them as characters and human-beings.

Interpret:

One character I’d like to analyze is JJ Maybank, who is portrayed as the “rebellious poor kid”. The stereotype is that he is the troubled, hot-headed teen from a broken home. He’s the wildcard of the Pogues, often taking big risks to protect his friends. Another character I’d like to talk about is Sarah Cameron, who is portrayed as the privileged girl who rejects her family’s wealthy background to live the “underdog” life. Her motive in the show is to somewhat bridge the gap between the Pogues and Kooks, as she has loyalty on both sides... As I mentioned above, the show is primarily most appealing to teens and young adults. This show is ethnically diverse and economic status ranges from poor to rich. If I were an outside US citizen looking in, I would say the US culture seems very divided. There is no unity between communities, as if everyone is just looking out for themselves. With the Pogues and Kooks, there is constantly so much tension going on between them – with no clear resolution in sight.  

Evaluate:

An evident strength of Outer Banks is its entertainment value. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger, pulling viewers into binge-watching. I also think the themes present in this series are super relatable to most teens and young adults. Characters like JJ and Pope resonate emotionally due to their personal struggles, family issues, and need for belonging. I would say one of the show’s weaknesses is the shallow social commentary. While it touches on issues like class, race, and abuse, it rarely dives deep. Complex issues are introduced but often used more for plot than meaningful critique. For example, Pope’s storyline about the Limbrey family’s racist past is powerful, but not thoroughly explored. This could potentially rub some viewers the wrong way.  

I would say this show resembles more of a fantasy with real-world echoes, rather than a cultural mirror or parody. While it captures the vibe of coastal teen life and some economic disparities, I don’t think Outer Banks is meant to be a realistic reflection of society. This show is worth talking about to my friends simply because of its entertainment value. It’s a fun show regarding adolescent life, that many people can relate to.  

Engage:  

Yes, I tune into every new season and binge-watch like crazy... I check their Instagram page time to time to see if there’s any new updates on the next season. Leading up to the new seasons, I think Outer Banks does a good job of promoting and advertising. For instance, I like how they do cast interviews and engage together as a group. I think the mass audience like to see how they’re like in person, not when they’re playing their character role. This helps build a deeper bond between the viewer and actor.  

Conclusions:

From this exercise, I learned a lot about how to conduct a deeper analysis on a topic. I really enjoyed doing this on one of my favorite TV series! What surprised me the most was diving deeper into the stereotypes of the cast. It has always been something on the back of my mind when watching, but it was cool to actually explore it through further examination.